


Amnesia

by debjunk



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Memory Loss, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debjunk/pseuds/debjunk
Summary: A potions accident leaves both Severus and Hermione suffering from amnesia. Will they divulge secrets to each other that should be kept... secret?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 11
Kudos: 118





	Amnesia

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta, Amortentia in my Veins. She's incredibly awesome.
> 
> This idea popped into my head over the weekend, so of course, I wrote it down.

Severus opened his eyes and was surprised to see a ceiling in front of him… until he realized he was lying on the floor. His hand came up and massaged his forehead. His head ached like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. Sitting up, he viewed the unfamiliar surroundings. Where was he?

Frowning deeply, he tried to remember what had happened before he’d obviously been knocked out. He had no memory of who he was or why he was in what appeared to be a Potions lab. He moved himself around on the floor so he could see the back of the room. He was surprised to see a woman unconscious on the floor not too far from him.

He scurried over and looked at her. Extracting his wand, he waved it over her, trying to see what was wrong. He looked down at the pretty young woman with curly brown hair and wondered who she was. Studying the readings he’d pulled from his wand, he noted she was okay, just unconscious.

Severus sat back on his haunches and stared at the woman, hopelessly willing her awake with his gaze. He was mildly surprised, then, when she began to stir. The woman opened her eyes and looked around. She saw him and her eyes narrowed. She shot up and her wand was under his chin in a split second.

“Who are you?”

He ignored her question. “You have sharp reflexes.”

She poked him. “I asked who you are.”

Severus sighed. “I would love to tell you, but it seems that whatever happened here has left me without a memory. I was hoping you could help me with my own predicament, but you seem to be no more in the know than I am.”

The woman frowned. It looked like she was debating whether to believe him or not. Finally, she lowered her wand.

“I can’t remember anything either,” she said with a huff.

“Are you injured?” he asked.

She shook her head after examining herself quickly. “I seem to be fine except for the amnesia.”

She looked back at him. “Maybe we can figure out what happened by examining the room.”

He gave a crisp nod and got to his feet. He extended his hand to her. She took it and rose to her feet as well. She looked around just as he had a few minutes prior.

“Looks like a Potions lab. Maybe we’re coworkers?” she asked.

“That is possible.”

He wandered over to a cauldron. It had green goop dripping along the sides of it. He peered in and saw more of the same green sludge.

“This appears to be the most likely reason for our mutual states of unconsciousness.”

“The cauldron exploded,” she mused. “Can you figure out what it was we were working on?”

Severus got close enough that his nose almost was touching the sticky substance on the outside of the cauldron. He sniffed at it and eyed it closely.

“I don’t want to touch it, but it smells like it might have been a Wit-Sharpening Potion.”

“Wow, you must be good to be able to tell that by just sniffing the residuals,” Hermione mused.

“Well, that may be, but this potion didn’t blow itself up. One of us must have made an error.”

She nodded. “Well, one thing is positive in this situation. We at least have retained the knowledge we previously possessed. We just don’t know who we are or why we’re here.”

“I think it’s probably obvious why we’re here. We brew potions. Perhaps we run a business or work for the Ministry? It would make sense that we’d be making a Wit-Sharpening Potion for them.”

Hermione bit her lower lip as she stared into the cauldron. “So, Wit-Sharpening Potion gone wrong causes amnesia?”

“It can. The Armadillo Bile can bind to the Newt spleens to cause forgetfulness instead of increased acuity.”

“You’re definitely the lead in this partnership,” Hermione said under her breath.

Severus heard her but pretended that he hadn’t.

“We should seek medical help,” he remarked.

“Do you know where the nearest hospital is?” Hermione asked.

She went over to the window and looked out. They were on a street bustling with people, but it didn’t look familiar. Severus wandered up behind her.

“You have a point. Nothing looks familiar.” He thought for a little bit. “The normal potion wears off in three hours. We can wait it out.”

Hermione looked at him. She nodded. “That would probably be the easiest. We could go out and ask someone for directions to the hospital, though. That might take less time.”

“We don’t know if they’re Wizards or Muggles. We could be sent to the wrong place.”

“Good point. They don’t look like Muggles, though,” Hermione mused.

“The Healers will probably tell us to wait anyway. Unless it’s a potion with a dangerous side effect, they usually advise to wait until the potion is supposed to have worn off. They only start with treatments if the effects don’t subside by then.”

Hermione sighed. “Well, I guess we’re stuck here for a couple of hours.”

Severus looked around the lab again. “I’m suddenly hungry. Do you think we have food anywhere here?”

Hermione pointed at a door. “Maybe through there?”

They headed for the door which opened to a small kitchen. Hermione went to the refrigerator and pulled it open.

“Hmm, this is telling.”

She pulled out a premade cheese and onion sandwich.

“This has to be yours,” she said emphatically.

“Why would you say that?” Severus asked.

“It’s an old person’s sandwich.”

Severus harrumphed. “I’m not old.”

“Well, you don’t expect that I would eat this?”

“What else is in there?” he asked.

She pulled out some pork sausage rolls.

“I think that would be more my style,” Severus said haughtily.

She handed the cheese and onion sandwich to him and moved over to the microwave, giving it a curious look. She shrugged at the oddity of an electrical item being in a Wizarding kitchen. As long as it worked, she was fine using it. She placed the sausage pie into it and pressed a few buttons. Miraculously it started up and began heating the meal.

Severus’ lip turned up at the cheese and onion sandwich as he eyed it, but he opened it anyway. He sniffed at it, making sure it still smelled fresh. The smell was abominable, but it didn’t smell spoiled. Lifting it up, he took a small bite of the sandwich and immediately rushed to the garbage and spit it out.

“I evidently hate onions. This must be yours,” he said as he handed the rest of the sandwich to Hermione.

“Hmm, who would have thought,” she said as she took it. “I guess the sausage roll is yours.”

He nodded. By this time, the microwave had done its work, so he removed the roll and they proceeded to the small table and sat. They ate quietly, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Hermione finally spoke. “Do you think this will work?”

“Hmm?” Severus asked. She’d startled him out of his musings about who he could possibly be.

“Do you think our memories will come back soon?”

“There’s always the possibility that they won’t, but I think the chances are good that we will be fine in a couple of hours.”

She nodded but looked nervous.

“It will be all right,” Severus said, wanting to assure her. “If for some reason our memories don’t return, we’ll seek out the hospital and they will be able to help. This was a simple potions accident.”

Hermione grimaced. “Something tells me there are no simple potions accidents.”

He leaned in toward her. “We will get through this together,” he assured her.

Hermione looked into his eyes and smiled. “Thanks,” she said. “I was beginning to panic. Knowing that we’ll face this together actually makes me feel better.”

Severus nodded and sat back. “Something tells me we make a good team,” he said.

Hermione’s smile widened. “I think so too.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “Do you think I’m your assistant, or are we more like equals in brewing?”

Severus shrugged. “No idea.”

Hermione put her finger to her lip and tapped it. “I’m not quite sure either. I’d like to think we’re equals, but I don’t seem to possess the same level of knowledge that you do.”

Her hand dropped, and she straightened, her eyes bright.

“Maybe I’m your apprentice!”

Severus regarded her carefully. “I don’t think so. Our lab coats are equal. Yours doesn’t have any apprentice designation on it,” he said with a nod to her outfit.

Hermione looked down. “Oh, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“So,” he continued, “we’re either equals, or you are my assistant. Does it matter to you?”

Hermione shrugged. “No, it would just be a piece of the puzzle put in place. I feel like I’m the kind that doesn’t like loose ends, and this is the epitome of loose ends.”

Severus chuckled. “So it is.”

Hermione tilted her head. “You don’t seem to care. You must be a patient man.”

Severus’ eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it.

“I feel that I do possess a modicum of patience and am able to wait for things. That’s probably why I am a Potioneer. But part of me also thinks I have a short fuse.” He shrugged. “I have no clue.”

She nodded and thought for a minute. “Maybe we can do inventory of ingredients or something? My mind is running a mile a minute. It has no idea what it’s supposed to be thinking, and it’s driving me mad!”

Severus stood. “Let’s do that. Even if we’ve already taken an inventory recently, it will pass the time and help us to not think about our predicament.”

They moved out into the lab and began their task, each one taking one end of the shelving. It had taken a while to categorize and inventory everything. They were now sitting at their desks near the entry of the lab.

“I wonder if we’re good friends,” Hermione mused.

“I would assume we must be at least acquaintances if we work together,” Severus replied.

She leaned in toward him. “I know, but it’s kind of mysterious. Are we just acquaintances? Do we hate working with each other and just do it because we have to? Are we best of friends? Are we… romantically involved?” Her eyebrows wiggled at her last remark.

Severus’ eyes grew wide. That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He cleared his throat. “What do you think the nature of our relationship is?” he asked curiously.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, measuring him up. “I feel like we’re friends.” She continued to look at him intensely. “Actually, I feel… I feel really close to you.” She cocked her head. “You’re important to me.”

Judging by his own reaction to her words, Severus couldn’t deny he felt an intense closeness to her.

“I feel it too.”

She smiled at him. “Despite this whole thing driving me crazy, this part is kind of fun. It’s like we’re discovering each other for the first time.”

“Well, we are. Neither of us know anything about the other.”

“Or ourselves!” Hermione said with a giggle.

“Let me see,” she said after a while. “I’ve already figured out that you’re aces at Potions. I bet you’re a really powerful wizard as well.”

Severus joined in. “And you are very intelligent.”

Hermione grinned at him. He felt something tighten in his chest. Yes, there was something there between them. He would bet his life on it. He watched as the smile left her eyes and she became serious.

“I really think there’s more to us than just friendship,” she said quietly.

“How can you be sure?” he asked softly.

“I just feel it. Maybe it’s the first part of our memories coming back.” She looked at him. “What do you think?”

He looked at her and tried to figure out just what he thought. His eyes moved to her wild hair. He found it captivating and wondered what it would be like to run his hands through it or have it tickle his nose. Moving to her eyes, he saw warmth in them, which just made him wish she’d never stop looking at him like that. Her mouth… enticing. Her shape… beautiful. His heart constricted within himself again as he thought about possibly being with her. His eyes met hers again.

“My gut tells me that I have feelings for you. Strong ones.”

Hermione smiled, and he wanted to see what her lips tasted like. He banished the thought and cleared his throat. He was surprised that the bold little minx got up and came over to him. Before he knew it, she was sitting in his lap, fiddling with his hair.

“We shouldn’t…” Severus cleared his throat. “We shouldn’t do anything. What if we’re not reading this right?”

Hermione got close to him, almost touching his lips with hers. “What if we are?”

He pushed her away weakly. “Then we can continue with this when we have our memories back.”

She ran her finger down his nose, and at that point, he just gave up. He couldn’t resist this willing witch sitting on his lap whom he knew he had feelings for. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. Electricity surged through him and he pulled her even closer, intensifying his kiss. He heard her moan and was enraptured by her. Their tongues tangled together, and he felt bliss with her. She was perfection. She was everything he had ever wanted. She was… Hermione Granger.

He pulled back abruptly as his memories flooded into his mind. They owned an Apothecary around the corner. They produced all the potions together in this lab as partners. He was more astute in potions, but she was brilliant at the business end and wasn’t pants at brewing either. He’d been in love with her for a long time, but it was an unrequited love. His past and his present meant that Hermione could never… would never… love him.

He pushed her off his lap and stood stiffly.

“My name is Severus Snape. You are Hermione Granger. We are _not_ a couple.”

With that, he turned and Apparated away, leaving a very confused witch on the floor.

oooOOOooo

“Hermione Granger…” Hermione said. That name resonated with her, but it still meant nothing. However, Severus Snape throwing her off his lap definitely meant something. It meant he had no interest whatsoever in her.

She deflated. His kiss had been so passionate. She had wanted so much more with him. She was certain that she had strong feelings for him. Possibly love. But it must have been an unrequited love because the man who had disappeared had been clear that she wasn’t what he wanted.

A huge lump caught in her throat as she sat on the floor. He’d been definite in his rejection of her, and it hurt. He’d been so abrupt with her. Was that what he was like all the time? How could she work with him if that was his actual disposition?

Fifteen minutes later, she understood everything about Severus Snape. They were colleagues and best friends. It had been a hard-won friendship that had taken years to cultivate. In those years, Hermione had fallen in love with him, but he had never shown any romantic interest in her whatsoever, so she took what she could get. His friendship meant the world to her because it was all she ever expected from him.

Now she knew better. He hadn’t rejected her because he had no interest. She’d felt his interest in the passion of his kiss. Oh, he was interested all right.

She got off the floor finally, determined to make him see differently. She Disapparated to confront Severus Snape.

oooOOOooo

Severus sat in his reading chair, his head in his hands. He’d ruined everything. He cherished his relationship with Hermione, knowing he could never have more. Now, he’d ruined even that. She’d insist on working when he wasn’t in the office. She might even quit. What would he do without being able to see her every day? His fingers wrapped in his hair and he pulled it in frustration.

Just then there was a pounding on his door. His head snapped up as he glared at his entryway.

“Severus Snape, you open this door right now!” Hermione yelled.

He frowned. She sounded furious. Of course, she did. He’d taken advantage of her, and he would now hear about it. He slowly rose and went to the door. He opened it and saw an enraged Hermione Granger standing there, magic sparking from her hair. The woman was magnificent.

He sadly stepped to the side so Hermione could storm into his flat. He closed the door and steeled himself for whatever was to come. His face was unemotional when he turned to her.

“Hermione, what is it? Hasn’t today been trying enough without you storming in here like this?”

Hermione stomped right up to him and looked up with ire in her eyes.

“You _lied_ to me, Severus Snape. You said we would go through this together, and once you knew who you were, you disappeared and left me alone and frightened. How could you?” she said as the anger in her voice turned to hurt. “How could you leave me alone before I knew who I was?”

Severus frowned. “Hermione, I…”

“No!” she said, angry once again. “There’s no excuse for you running out on me, so don’t give me one.”

“I was going to say I’m sorry,” Severus said in annoyance.

Hermione folded her arms and looked at him expectantly.

“I should have stayed with you. I was shocked when I remembered, and I needed some space.”

“So, you just abandoned me?” Hermione finished.

He looked down. “I’m sorry. It was a foul thing to do.”

“You’re damn right it was. I expected more from you, Severus Snape!”

His eyes closed. She was right. It would be better for him to withdraw from her ire now and lick his wounds. He’d need to give her a reason to storm off so he could be alone again. Alone… always alone. He steeled himself to be cruel but found he couldn’t be his nastiest with Hermione. He could be sharp, though, and he would be.

“You always assume too much, Granger. If that’s all you’ve got to say, you can let yourself out.”

He stalked around her and went into his study, slamming the door. He sighed, imagining Hermione leaving his home in a rage. Evidently that wasn’t what happened because she stormed into the room a minute later. His back remained to the door as she spoke, but her magic was so palpable he still felt it crackling around her.

“You know what,” she said haughtily. “It’s okay to be frightened sometimes, Severus. I was frightened of the unknown, especially after you rejected me so wholeheartedly and then disappeared. I wondered if I’d been wrong about everything. What kind of person was I really? I was afraid!”

Severus turned to her. He wanted to pull her to him and comfort her, she looked so crazed, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself anymore than he’d already had.

She took some deep breaths and stepped back up to him. Her voice softened. “And I know you’re afraid right now.”

His eyebrows drew together. “I am not afraid!” he said emphatically.

“Aren’t you?”

She started walking around him. “Look at you. You’re standing rigidly trying to repress your own emotions. You’re Occluding! You only do that when you have something to hide from, like your own feelings!”

“Nonsense,” Severus said sharply.

She’d returned to face him again.

“You think that I could never feel anything romantic for you, right? How could I ever love a Death Eater and a murderer? And you’re so old. I could find a nice young man who would make me happy, right?”

Severus’ shoulders sagged and he admitted defeat. He nodded quickly and looked away from her.

“Severus, look at me,” Hermione demanded.

He refused to turn his head toward her.

“Severus, please,” she asked quietly.

He finally turned so he could look at her. She stepped closer to him and reached up, cupping his cheek in her hand.

“I have been attracted to you for a long time. I just didn’t think you were interested in me. Your actions earlier told a different story.”

“Hermione, I am no good for you.”

“How can you say that? Look at how well we work together. Look at how our friendship has grown. I want you, Severus Snape. Can you honestly look at me and say you don’t want me?”

“Hermione…”

“Please, Severus, tell me the truth. If I’ve misunderstood, I won’t ever bring it up again, but I want you to know that I adore you, and I think you feel the same for me. I want to be with you. Could you ever want to be with me like that?”

Severus grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his cheek. “Why are you torturing me like this? Are you trying to get a good laugh at my expense?”

“Severus, stop this now. Why can’t you just accept that you’re worthy of someone loving you… of _me_ loving you.”

“You are lying to me.”

“I love you, you great git! Why don’t you believe me?”

His hands came up and grasped her arms. He pulled her close to him so that his lips were next to her ear.

“Because I never get what I want, and you are what I want.”

Hermione gasped. “But I am yours, Severus. All yours.”

Severus could no longer deny Hermione’s argument. He knew deep down in his psyche that he was worthy of happiness, but he always beat that part of himself down. If his expectations were low, he would never be disappointed.

But now, he wanted to take a chance. Hermione was the type of person who didn’t lie. Her emphatic claim that she loved him could not be refuted by him. She wasn’t the kind of person to joke about something so serious despite him accusing her of just that minutes before. All he could do was accept that the woman was mad and wanted him in her life.

His hand came up and took hold of her chin. He looked deeply into her eyes.

“Are you sure? I am not one to let go of what is mine.”

She smiled at him. “Yes, Severus. I am yours, and you are mine.”

“Yours,” he said as he smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

His lips sought out hers and he tentatively kissed her. Her eager response cheered him on, and his kiss became more and more passionate. His arms came around her, and he pulled her flush with his body. Her arms encircled him, and she reached up to play with his hair as they kissed lovingly.

“You are everything I’ve ever wanted, Hermione. I’ve loved you for an age,” he said before leaning in again and lavishing her with kisses to show just how much he loved her.

She pulled away and looked at him. Love shined in her eyes. Severus gasped at the intensity of it.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” she whispered before adding, “Can we go somewhere more comfortable as we… erm… _explore_ this new aspect of our relationship?” she asked him, biting her bottom lip and pulling him over to the settee.

He grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Absolutely,” he agreed.


End file.
